Siamese Twins' family reunion has a different twist this year

It’s not just any family reunion where you can find the Thai ambassador to the United States. Especially in Mount Airy.

But descendants of Eng and Chang Bunker — the conjoined brothers from Siam, the present day Thailand, who gave rise to the term “Siamese twins” in the 1800s and eventually settled in Surry County — are used to people being interested in their roots.

“Growing up, it was always kind of cool,” said Emma Bunker Wheeler, of Mebane, who would look at pictures of her grandfather’s grandfather, Eng Bunker, in books. “I always felt like a mini celebrity.”

For the 24th year, descendants of the twins are gathering together today in Mount Airy, where Eng and Chang bought land in 1839 and settled after touring the world as a traveling act. There, Eng and Chang married sisters, with Eng and his wife having 11 children and Chang and his wife bearing 10.

Thailand’s ambassador to the United States, Chaiyong Satjipanon, is attending the reunion, along with several other representatives from the country’s royal government.

Wheeler said social networking played a role in securing the Thai ambassador’s attendance at the reunion.

“It was just a coincidental thing with Facebook,” she said. “One of my dad’s cousins started a Facebook page, and somebody knew somebody who knew somebody. We made a connection with the ambassador, and he thought it was something he should come to.”

She said food at the reunion has always been “a very traditional family covered dish” type meal, but this year, the ambassador is providing Thai food and bringing a Thai dancer to perform.

Wheeler said though her family has studied its Asian roots, today, they don’t identify much with Siamese traditions.

“We’re as Southern North Carolinian is it could be,” she said.

Jessie Bunker Bryant, Wheeler’s aunt, said, “Early on in the family, there were some with Asian characteristics,” Bunker said. “When it got down this far, you don’t see many Asian characteristics in our generation.”

Bryant said family members come to the annual reunion from all over the United States, usually amounting to 150 or 200 people each year. This time, with additional visitors, she said that number might be closer to 250 in attendance.

According to Wheeler, this isn’t the first time important guests have attended the gathering. She said the last time she went to the event, several years back, a photographer from National Geographic came and took a group photo — perched on a cherry picker — of the twins’ descendants.

“For a while, I kind of took it for granted, but I think it’s really cool that people are that interested in them,” Wheeler said.